League of Women Voters of Honolulu & Common Cause v. State of Hawai`i

League of Women Voters of Honolulu and Common Cause challenged whether the process for adopting Act 84 (2018) complied with the Hawai`i Constitution. The lawsuit focused on the gut-and-replace legislative process that makes it difficult for members of the public and the Legislature to follow, understand, and provide meaningful comments on legislation. Specifically, in 2018, halfway through the legislative session, the Legislature gutted S.B. 2858 (a bill that concerned reports made by the Department of Public Safety)–removing all content except its vague title (“Relating to Public Safety”)–and replaced the original content with a completely unrelated bill about hurricane resistant shelter space. Plaintiffs claimed that the process violated the subject-in-title and three readings requirements of the Hawai`i Constitution. The case is assigned to Judge Gary W.B. Chang. The summary judgment motions will be heard on January 24. Civil No. 18-1-1376-09 GWBC.